狩り
also: がり
Meanings
As a standalone noun, read かり and means hunting animals or game. As a suffix, it is normally read がり, as in 鷹狩り for falconry.
When my grandfather was young, he often went into the mountains to hunt.
Falconry was also enjoyed by warriors and nobles in the past.
picking; gathering; viewing autumn leaves
Only with reading がり
Suffix read がり after the thing sought or enjoyed: fruit picking, mushroom gathering, shellfish gathering, or scenic viewing such as 紅葉狩り.
We went strawberry picking as a family over the weekend.
In autumn, more people go into the mountains to view the fall leaves.
hunt for people; roundup; witch-hunt
Only with reading がり
Suffix read がり in compounds referring to hunting down, rounding up, or persecuting people, often with a negative or political tone, as in 赤狩り and 魔女狩り.
In Cold War-era America, the Red Scare became a major issue.
Baseless accusations like a witch-hunt should stop.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉狩りをするto go picking/gathering (fruit, mushrooms, etc.)
We went strawberry picking as a family.
- 〈場所〉で狩りをするto go hunting in a place
My grandfather used to go hunting in the mountains.
- 〈人〉狩りに遭うto be targeted in a hunt/purge against a group of people
Many scholars were targeted in the witch hunts.
Expressions
- 狩りに行くgo hunting